World Mental Health Day

If you ask me, World Mental Health Day is important to recognize. Why? Because currently, 1 in 5 American adults live with mental illness. With so much weighing on the world’s collective psyche, I believe the only way to fight the stigma of mental health is by showing just how common it actually is. Plus, shining a light on World Mental Health Day is helpful in raising public awareness about the physical, social, and financial impact of mental illness.

What is World Mental Health Day?

According to the World Health Organization, “the overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts to support mental health.” Held every October 10, World Mental Health Day is also “important for ending stigmas surrounding mental illness.”

Created In 1992 by the World Federation of Mental Health’s deputy secretary-general at the time, Richard Hunter, World Mental Health Day always highlights a specific theme for each year. For example, the first World Mental Health Day theme was “Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World.” For 2022, the theme is “Making Mental Health and Well-Being For All A Global Priority.”

Take a look at these additional statistics — they help showcase just how critical it is to understanding mental health’s impact on the world:

• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experiences serious mental illness each year 
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year 
• 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75 percent by age 24 
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 
• About 7.6 percent of U.S. adults (19.4 million people) experience a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness 
• People with depression have a 40 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. 
• 21.1 percent of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition 
• Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide 
• Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year 

3 common mental health conditions

While a variety of mental illnesses exist, some are more prevalent than others. However, I’m certain you’re familiar with some of the top mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While anxiety, depression, and insomnia can each stand alone, it’s a well known fact that this trio, unfortunately, tends to run together. Regardless of whether you start off being anxious, feeling down, or sleeping poorly, unless a course correction happens, you’re at risk for developing all three.

Let’s take a look at these conditions one by one:

Anxiety

Since an estimated 31 percent of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, let’s define what anxiety is exactly. According to the American Psychological Association, “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a rapid heartbeat.”

While both men and women can suffer from anxiety disorders — anxiety is more common in females. Take a look at these primary symptoms:

• ADD/ADHD/other concentration issues
• Hyperactivity
• Insomnia/other sleeping issues
• Irritability
• Lethargy
• Panic attacks/disorders

Additionally, anxiety impacts the body. Some effects can include: 

• A churning feeling in your stomach 
• A fast, thumping, or irregular heartbeat 
• Backaches, headaches, or other aches and pains 
• Changes in your sex drive 
• Faster breathing 
• Feeling light-headed or dizzy
• Feeling restless or unable to sit still 
• Having panic attacks 
• Nausea 
• Needing to use the bathroom more or less often 
• Pins and needles 
• Sleep problems 
• Sweating 
• Teeth grinding 

Depression

According to a study conducted by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and City University of New York, depression is prevalent in the U.S. — nearly 1 in 10 Americans suffers from depression. This means nearly 18 million people suffer from depression during any given year. Additionally, based on research from Johns Hopkins, women are about “twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression” then men.

If you’ve never experienced depression yourself, here is what you need to know: “depression is a serious medical condition that is associated with symptoms such as melancholy, loss of pleasure, loss of energy, difficulty in concentrating, and suicidal thoughts.”

With depression, people can suffer from its symptoms in a multitude of ways:

Psychological symptoms of depression:

• Continuous low mood or sadness
• Experiencing anxiousness or worry
• Experiencing feelings of guilt
• Feeling hopeless and helpless
• Feeling irritable and intolerant of others
• Finding it difficult to make decisions
• Having low self-esteem
• Having no motivation or interest in things
• Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
• Not getting any enjoyment out of life

Physical symptoms of depression:

• Aches and pains
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Constipation
• Decreased libido
• Disturbed sleep — For example, either finding it difficult to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning
• Low energy
• Menstrual cycle changes
• Moving or speaking more slowly than usual

Social symptoms of depression:

• Experiencing difficulties in home, work, or family life
• Neglecting hobbies or interests
• Withdrawing from friends and social activities

Biochemically speaking, depression begins in the brain — but the mental changes it causes inevitably also cause a variety of physical changes. It’s tough to feel energized when you’re depressed. Heck, it can be tough to even get out of bed in the morning.

Many people with depression are unfairly characterized as “lazy” for their inability to hold a job or put themselves in social situations. Unfortunately, this characterization only compounds their feelings of unworthiness. Understanding depression and openly discussing mental health is one way to combat the stigma against mental health — this is why it’s so important to celebrate and recognize World Mental Health.

Insomnia

According to the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. With insomnia, you may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep. This happens even if you have the time and the right environment to sleep well. Insomnia can get in the way of your daily activities and may make you feel sleepy during the day.”

This is what insomnia symptoms can include:

• Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
• Difficulty falling asleep at night
• Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering
• Increased errors or accidents
• Irritability, depression, or anxiety
• Not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep
• Ongoing worries about sleep
• Waking up during the night
• Waking up too early

Generally, insomnia is typically seen as a result of stress, life events, or habits that disrupt sleep.

Mind-building supplements

The best remedy for mental health problems is a simple one: therapy. A licensed psychiatrist can also prescribe mediations that may help the root causes of your problems. All that being said, it’s also important to look to natural substances to help improve your mental framework. Let’s discuss three of the best — CBD, ‘raw’ cannabinoids, and L-theanine.

CBD

CBD may alleviate anxiety by addressing the neurotransmitter imbalances that might be causing it.

Indeed, CBD’s anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects are one of the first things most people notice when initially taking CBD oil — whether they have actual clinical anxiety or not. Usually this calmness happens alongside a subtle shift in one’s sense of well being. Some people feel more hopeful about the future; others feel freer to enjoy the present moment. It may even seem like reality has shifted just a little bit.

While this might sound pretty mystical, it’s not. And keep in mind we’re not talking about CBD making anyone high — it definitely doesn’t do that.

The way CBD instills this calmness is interesting. One thing present in most cases of anxiety is a skewed serotonin:dopamine ratio, one where serotonin is too low. It’s called the “feel-good hormone” for a good reason! CBD may gently bring serotonin levels back into balance.

Most of the brain’s serotonin receptors are considered psychedelic, so ‘hitting’ them with a new chemical messenger can produce all sorts of weird mental side effects. Yet, CBD manages to hit the right receptors without doing any of this. It actually encourages a certain type of serotonin receptor, the 5-HT1A variety, to join forces with other receptors.

These other receptors are the endocannabinoid system’s CB2 receptors, and when this bond is formed it allows one’s mood to be lifted without any psychoactive stuff going on.

‘Raw’ cannabinoids

What are ‘raw’ cannabinoids?

They’re cannabinoids that haven’t been decarboxylated (heat processed) yet. To help you picture this, imagine a hemp plant that’s still out growing in the field. This plant doesn’t contain much CBD or THC. Instead, it contains CBDa and THCa.

Funnily enough, raw cannabinoids like CBDa were originally considered inert — totally inactive. But it turns out that CBDa has such a variety of indirect effects that the sum of its parts adds up to something powerful. CBDa is a powerful mood booster. Other raw cannabinoids, like CBGa and THCa, also have powerful mental effects.

While raw cannabinoids aren’t all that popular yet, you can get trace amounts of CBDa through premium full spectrum CBD products. If you’re feeling extra adventurous you could also munch on some hemp flower.

L-theanine

L-theanine is an amino acid found only in certain types of tea, thus the name.

Unlike most amino acids (like the methionine or tryptophan found in meat), L-theanine is relaxing. It relaxes your nervous system on a micro-to-macro level. L-theanine may even shift the frequency of your brain waves towards the alpha-wave state. Check out our favorite L-theanine product here.

Mental health matters

Mental health is important every day, not just on World Mental Health Day. Just think…is there anything that could be more important than the framework through which you view all aspects of life and every attribute of the world? Probably not!

If something mental is holding you back, take the time to address it. It may very well be that adding cannabinoids to your mental health routine could help you on your mental health journey.